GLENDALE -- For one possession, their last possession, the Cardinals offense finally did all of the things it couldn’t for much of Sunday afternoon against the Lions.

They converted on third downs. They made big plays. And they scored a touchdown with less than two minutes left.

That 1-yard scoring run by Rashard Mendenhall gave the Cardinals a 25-21 victory in their home opener at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Cardinals failed to convert on their first 8 third down opportunities and were 1 for 11 at one point.

But on third down from their 32, receiver Andre Roberts drew a pass interference call in the end zone, setting up Mendenhall’s touchdown.

The Cardinals’ work wasn’t done because the Lions had one last possession, taking over at their 20, with 1:59 and two timeouts remaining.

The Cardinals held. The Lions (1-1) got one first down but no more. Rookie Tyrann Mathieu made a key stop on fourth down, and the Cardinals (1-1) celebrated their first victory of the Bruce Arians era.

The offensive changes the Cardinals made in the off-season were understandable and overdue. But the ones on defense, a new coordinator and six new starters, suggested the Cardinals were trying to overhaul an engine that was running just fine.

It’s too early to judge the wisdom of all those moves, but if Sunday’s 25-21 victory over the Lions is an accurate indicator, the new model could be just as efficient.

There were glitches early, including two touchdowns by Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. But the Cardinals defense took over in the second half, yielding 90 yards, four first downs and no points.

The Lions’ only score of the second half was a 66-yard interception return.

Most importantly, the Cardinals defense was at its best in the final two minutes, unlike last week when it allowed the Rams to score the winning points in the final seconds.

“We didn’t feel like we finished in the last game,” defensive back Tyrann Mathieu said, “and that was kind of the focal point going into this game.”

“Finish” was a buzzword around the team’s Tempe headquarters last week, especially for the defense. It allowed 10 points in the final two minutes of the halves in a loss at St. Louis, and Detroit scored a touchdown with 1:55 left in the first half.

In those same periods, the Cardinals produced nothing.

It was frustrating because, as defensive end Darnell Dockett explained, “We practice two minutes more than any team I’ve ever been around. That’s including college.”

The hard work finally produced results on Sunday.

Down 21-19, the Cardinals drove 61 yards in seven plays to score a touchdown and take a 25-21 lead (the conversion attempt failed).

They did it without receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who had left the game with a sore hamstring. The key play was a pass-interference call on Lions cornerback Bill Bentley, who blocked receiver Andre Roberts from the ball in the end zone.

Rashard Mendenhall’s 1-yard touchdown run gave the Cardinals the lead with 1:59 left.

With two timeouts and a potent offense, the Lions (1-1) had the assets needed to score.

“It was pride week,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “We put a lot of emphasis on two minutes to make sure we closed the game out and closed the half out.”

The Lions (1-1) gained 17 yards on the first play but just 9 more. On fourth and 4, quarterback Matthew Stafford threw to receiver Nate Burleson, who was guarded by Mathieu.

Mathieu, who saved a touchdown against the Rams last week, stopped him for a 3-yard gain.

“I knew they were going to try to target me, with me being a rookie,” Mathieu said. “They had been running the same routes all day, so they were going to come with the quick slant.”

Detroit had success in the first half with those routes. Johnson scored one of his two touchdowns on one, although the ball first sailed through the arms of linebacker Karlos Dansby who had read the play.

“Dansby was called out the play before the play,” Stafford said.

Stafford threw the ball so hard that Dansby didn’t have time to adjust his hands. “It hit him (Johnson) so hard in the stomach that he didn’t even know he had the ball until he started running,” Dansby said.

Once it hits Johnson’s body “you know what he’s going to do with it,” Dansby said.

Cornerback Patrick Peterson defended Johnson most of the afternoon, and Johnson beat him for the two scores.

In the second half, Johnson had three catches for 29 yards.

“It was a blast,” Peterson said of defending Johnson. “That’s why you play in the NFL, to go up against guys like that. I thought I fared pretty well.”

Arians credited defensive coordinator Todd Bowles for making adjustments, including having his defensive backs play tighter at the line of scrimmage.

“We were playing too far off in third or 5 or less,” Arians said.

Bowles’ game plan included using four safeties when the Cardinals went to their dime alignment, which includes six defensive backs.

Rookie Tony Jefferson played a big role in that package, with starter Yeremiah Bell playing more as a linebacker, lining up next to Dansby.

The Cardinals defense received a break when running back Reggie Bush suffered a knee injury late in the first half. Bush returned briefly in the second half, but left for good after he and Stafford botched a handoff that the Cardinals recovered at the Lions 7.

“I felt like I could still go,” Bush said, “but I just wasn’t myself.”

While the overall result was positive, the Cardinals defense has improvement to make. It had only one sack after recording none the week before, and with New Orleans and quarterback Drew Brees as the next opponent, the Cardinals need to find a way to create pressure.

But the defense improved from the first game to the second. On Sunday, it was the Lions, not the Cardinals, lamenting their poor execution in the closing minutes.

“What it boils down to is two-minute offense and defense,” Stafford said, “and we didn’t get it done.”

First quarter: Cardinals 0, Lions 0

Both teams were forced to punt on their opening possession, but when the Lions got the ball back a second time they methodically drove down the field. QB Matthew Stafford completed 7of9 passes for 49 yards and RB Reggie Bush peeled off a couple of nice gains.

Detroit had to settle for a FG, however, and David Akers came on for a 52-yard attempt. He missed wide left, but was hit after the kick by rusher Justin Bethel. Akers got another shot from 47 yards, but this time he missed right. The Lions’ Calvin Johnson caught one pass in the quarter for 9 yards.

Second quarter: Lions 14, Cardinals 10

With CB Patrick Peterson in on offense, the Cardinals’ offense went to a spread formation and Carson Palmer hit Rashard Mendenhall underneath for a 20-yard pickup.

Palmer hit Jaron Brown with an 11-yard completion and after an incomplete pass on third down, Jay Feely came on and was successful on a 47-yard FG. But it didn’t take the Lions long to respond.

On Detroit’s third play, Stafford connected with Johnson for a 72-yard touchdown. LB Karlos Dansby almost made an interception on the play. Arizona answered almost as quickly, though. After a 22-yard completion to Larry Fitzgerald, who was playing with a sore left hamstring that eventually forced him from the game, Palmer found RB Andre Ellington on a swing route and he went untouched for a 36-yard touchdown.

But the Lions weren’t done. Detroit went 92 yards on 10 plays, capped by a 3-yard fade pass from Stafford to Johnson in the corner of the end zone. Peterson was picked on the play by Nate Burleson and was a step behind because of it.

Third quarter: Lions 21, Cardinals 16

The Cardinals caught a break on Detroit’s first possession of the half when Bush fumbled the ball deep inside the Lions’ own territory. DE Calais Campbell, who earlier had registered the Cardinals’ first sack of the season, pounced on the ball for the recovery.

Some questionable play-calling seemed to work against Arizona’s offense, though, and the Cardinals had to settle for a 23-yard Feely FG, which brought them to within a point, 14-13.

The Cardinals forced a punt and started churning up some yardage, which included a 17-yard completion from Palmer to Peterson. But it ended on third and 4 when, under a heavy pass rush, Palmer threw a blind pass that was easily intercepted by LB DeAndre Levy. He returned it 66 yards for a touchdown and a 21-13 Detroit lead.

Later in the quarter, Peterson threw a pass on a gadget play to WR Kerry Taylor, who was signed from the practice squad a day earlier. It covered 17 yards but again, the drive stalled because of a failure to convert on third down.

A 43-yardFG from Feely brought the Cardinals to within five points.

Fourth quarter: Cardinals 25, Lions 21

Feely was perfect for a fourth time, hitting from 33 yards to pull the Cardinals to within 21-19 less than a minute into the quarter.

After that, Arizona’s defense continued to rise to the occasion and special teams again played a factor as Bethel blocked a 48-yard field-goal attempt by Akers.

After forcing a three-and-out by the Lions and playing without Fitzgerald, the Cardinals got a big run from Ellington and a big catch from Michael Floyd. But no play was bigger than Palmer’s deep fade pass down the right sideline to Andre Roberts on third and 8.

Roberts stopped at the goal line, forcing Lions CB Bill Bentley to run into him and draw a costly pass-interference penalty. It out the ball at the 1-yard line, and Mendenhall plowed across for the go-ahead touchdown.

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